


Plain Tales from the Valley of Sweetness

by MrToddWilkins (orphan_account)



Category: Sweet Valley High - Francine Pascal, Sweet Valley Twins - Francine Pascal, Sweet Valley University - Francine Pascal
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24464395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MrToddWilkins
Summary: Sweet Valley drabbles and plot bunnies and all that awesomeness
Comments: 1





	1. Let That Be a Lesson unto You,I Guess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Winston does nothing that could dissuade anyone from calling him Mad Egbert. Inspired by a moment in the Harry Potter fic ‘Elflocks’. All thanks to LilacFree for providing my inspiration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in the Sweet Life ‘verse, in the spring of 1985.

“Three things that are not easily restrained:the flow of a torrent, the flight of an arrow, and the tongue of a fool.”   
  
\- from the Welsh Triads

  
It was a normal day at Sweet Valley Elementary,during the hour of recess,and 7 year old Winston Egbert was looking for someone to tease. He considered his usual targets. Jerry McAllister and Bruce Patman came first to mind. _Naw. They were already chasing each other up and down the playground._

_Kerry Glenn?  
  
No! She’s a girl! They have cooties! And she’s my cousin! It’s not nice to tease family! That discounts Caroline Pearce and Emily Mayer too._

_Justin Belson?  
_

_No. He’s new. ‘Twouldn’t be nice._

_Matthew Wakefield?  
_

_Maybe. But he’s scrawny. It wouldn’t be fair on him,being weak as he is._

_Sam Evans?  
_

_Hmmm......no. He’s nice._

Just then,his mind was made up. A distant voice came to him on the air. “There’s Egg-boy. Let’s seek him out.”

 _Michael Harris? Seeking me out?_  
  
Winston saw him and stood in front of him to block his way.

”Michael Harris,you have some explaining to do.”

”What?”

”I heard about you taking Molly Hecht’s lunch money last week. Shame on you,teasing someone you share your initials with.”

Michael pushed Winston onto an elderberry bush. “That’s what you get for eaves-dropping, Egghead.”

“Oh, I wasn’t listening to what you were saying. I was hoping to be inspired by your presence alone.”

”What the heck,Win? You’re mad.”

”Come now. We all know you’re in love with Maria Santelli. Or Roberta Manning,”

”Yup. You’re crazy.”

”Said the Harris heir,as he smirked snidely. He had a gray cow,which he hooked to a plow,and ran uphill into the grassy howe. Up came his foe-man with his sword of steel,shaped like a ship’s keel. Then he formed a fist like rock,and flattened his foe-man with a hard knock.”

Michael backed away as Winston took a jump. He landed on his feet.

”And I know who else you’ve teased over the days and years. Olivia Davidson,because of her long,pretty hair. Kelly Bates,and the Wakefields by extension. Mandy Miller,after you took her art supplies. John Pfeiffer,because of his crush on Olivia. April Dawson,because she likes playing with toy cars. Tina Ayala,because she likes writing. Now go away from me,ere I taunt you a second time.”

Michael ran away,presumably seeking a teacher. Winston allowed himself a soft smile. _Mission accomplished._


	2. Winston and Todd - IN SPACE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astronaut AU, set in the 70s and 80s. Told over the course of five missions.

_Skylab 4_

Todd Wilkins,Winston Egbert,and Ken Matthews,the all-rookie crew, begin the last Skylab mission in style. Their takeoff is delayed by a week due to cracked booster fins,but that doesn’t really affect anything.

They arrive on Skylab with no difficulties and open up the space station. They’ll be here for 84 days:they’d better make the best of it.

He isn’t mad when Todd and Ken go for spacewalks without him. He gets to stay in Skylab and operate the experiments. His favorite - probably the solar astronomy experiments. His least favorite - the blood draws. He came here to do useful science,not medical shit.

At last it’s time to go home. Yay. The return goes well.

_STS-6_

When it’s announced that Maria Santelli will be the first American woman in space,naturally the press attention shifts to her. Winston and Roger’s planned EVA takes the back-burner of the press. Winston’s fine with that. Maria’s pretty,isn’t she?

They pop the TDRS out on the first day,and watch as it soars to geostationary orbit. For two days they putter around Earth. Experiments are performed. Winston raids Challenger’s pantry whenever he can. Todd does so too.

The EVA,at last. All systems Go,Houston. They evaluate spacewalk equipment. All goes well.

_STS-61A_

A few weeks after Winston and Maria return from their honeymoon,Winston is assigned to his next mission. A Spacelab mission with two German payload specialists.

They go to Germany for training. There are so many experiments to operate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In reality,none of the Skylab 4 crew ever flew in space again.


	3. The meeting of the two Aprils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April Marian Patterson's second cousin is April Selena Dawson. ‘Nuff said.
> 
> Told through dialogue. The occasion is the wedding of Michael Patterson and Deanna Sobinski.
> 
> ‘ASH’ refers to that April Dawson married Michael Harris.

AMP: Hi! You must be April!

ASH: You must be the other April. I’ve heard so much about you.

AMP: You have? From who?

ASH: Michael. Your brother.

AMP: That's cool. I hear you ride dirt bikes. That must be awesome! Have you ridden professionally?

ASH: Yeah. I ride with the Modesto-to-Vegas circuit now. We have the Tri-State event in February:I'd be happy to sell you guys tickets.

AMP:Well,we're pretty busy up here. Elizabeth's friend Candace - the redhead over there - she might like those tickets. Her boyfriend Rudy fixes motorcycles.

ASH: I'll consider telling her.

AMP: So,what's southern California like? How're the beaches?

ASH: Warm year-round. You'd like it down there. Maybe you and your folks could come over the summer?

MJP: We'll think about it. 

ASH: Mike! Congratulations!

MJP: Thanks. You look nice as always. 

ASH: I always do,Mike. Where's Deanna?

MJP: With her bridesmaids.


	4. Unlikely Love (Winston Egbert/Brooke Dennis)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I blame Elfpinkromance.

They start dating in freshman year after Liz sets them up. 

(She will later confess to Todd that it was a dare on Jess's part - "Pair off the unlikeliest people we know")

Throughout 9th and 10th grade, she introduces him to the comforts of Sweet Valley living. They play mini-golf at Patman Green. They go to Casey's Ice Cream Shoppe and watch cop shows in the back room. Winston takes her to the Sweet Valley County School Science Fair.

(Oh Lord, what has she gotten herself into?)

\---------

At the Winter Ball their junior year, they make it more-or-less official. She needs love now,more than ever after her parents split. Coco moves back to town,retiring from her acting career to take care of Brooke. Winston gives her an opal promise ring. "What is this, the '50s?", she laughs.   
  


By summer, he can hardly bear to be apart from her. They go to each other's family Fourth of July parties. 

("Wow. You Egberts are so cool. Like.....wow.")

\------------

She's prom queen,he's prom king. Together they stand amidst the cheering crowd. Three weeks later,they stand with the rest of the class of 1996,accepting their diplomas from Chrome Dome.

They go to SVU together. He studies public relation,she studies history. They make a cute couple,or so Liz thinks.

\--------

In the winter of sophomore year he proposes,getting down on one knee in front of Lisette's. She's so absorbed in accepting that the cheers of a nearby crowd of shoppers don't register to her.

Coco finds herself involved in planning her daughter's wedding, She's dating Bill Paxton now. How crazy is that?

\-------

They're married at the end of July in St Vibiana's. Enid is the maid of honor,and Jessica's boyfriend Lee is the best man.


	5. I so don’t even know..........but SVH as a play,I guess?

Enter from left - WINSTON EGBERT alongside MARIA SANTELLI,his girlfriend. Winston is a tall,handsome boy with dark hair and eyes,the latter covered by wire-frame glasses. He has a jacket festooned with space mission patches: we recognize Skylab 4, STS-1, Apollo 12, STS-51D, the NASA meatball,and some other generic patches. He is also wearing khakis.

Maria is a tall,fit girl with dark hair, hazel eyes, and olive skin as befits her Italian heritage. She is wearing a silver T-shirt and cargo pants. In her eyes are contact lenses. Her hair is done in a straight style curling at the ends. Rooster bangs protrude jauntily over her forehead.

At a corner booth, sharing the hot clam special. are CARA WALKER and JOHN PFEIFFER. Cara is a tall girl,almost as fit as Maria is:after all,they're both cheerleaders. She has brown hair and eyes,set in a pretty olive face. The curve of her eyebrows flows smoothly into the curve of her nose. She is wearing a red jacket over a blue T-shirt and a checkered green dirndl skirt,giving her a festive appearance.

John,who is the sports editor of The Oracle (the Sweet Valley High school newspaper), is a tall,slightly stocky boy with dark hair,blue eyes,and a chiseled chin. He is wearing his letterman's jacket (#29) over a red T-shirt with a cravat collar, as well as tan trousers.

Cara:So Sandy was like, 'Christine's party will be so fabulous!', and I was like 'Girl,please. Remember when the Wakefields had their end-of-8th-grade bash and you drank too much punch?'

John:Didn't Guy Chesney spike it?

Cara:The punch?

John:Yeah.

Cara:There were rumors that he did. Anyways, Amy comes in and she's like 'OMG, did you hear? Helen Bradley and Danny Stouffer are back together!' and Maria's like 'Sheesh'. Then Jessica came in with Brooke Dennis and they were laughing about something Brooke had said.

John:Brooke’s all kinds of cool.

Cara:Why shouldn’t she be? Her mom’s famous!

John:So I’ve been editing the latest Oracle issue and.....I think I might have a thing for Olivia.

Cara:I’m not surprised,John. She’s cute and smart and talented - a real triple threat. You’ve known her for like 10 years:frankly,I’m surprised you didn’t notice her earlier.


End file.
